The Minority Health Professions (MHPF), in collaboration with the Association of Minority Health Professions Schools (AMHPS), its member institutions has sponsored since 1987 an annual symposium on Career Opportunities in Biomedical Sciences. The MHPF through this Biomedical Symposium is attempting to narrow the gaps in the education of minority young people that will affect the future quality and quantity of resources in the biomedical sciences and health professions of the nation. The MHPF understands that early intervention and encouragement are essential to enhancing the likelihood of minority students pursuing careers in the biomedical sciences and health professions. A number of activities take place during the year and the Annual Biomedical Symposium is a culminating event that brings together students from local science and math clubs to share in an experience where they are exposed to real-life scientists and health professionals. We provide hands-on workshops, opportunities for students to present their research to a larger audience and simply network with professionals in the fields of government, academia and the corporate world. The value added to your particular Institute is that these young participants are motivated to become the future biomedical and health professions workforce of the future. This future workforce must be able to address the needs of a society that in many ways will be reflective of them. The Symposium's intent is to motivate and provide information that will aid in helping the young participants decide what they would like to become with adequate preparation. Many have already begun research in areas such as environmental health, diabetes, cancer, DNA, human development, infectious diseases, skin diseases, bioengineering, dental research, alternative medicine, communication disorders, biomedical research, the aging process, and behavioral and social science research. Our aim is to continue nurturing this curiosity and to move it toward a realization that becoming a scientist or health professional is possible.